Vending machine



Mar. 27, 1923 1,449,864

w. J. LILUS vauomc MAGHINE Filed 'une 29, 192,1 2 sheets-sheet l Patented Mar.- 27, 1923.

UNITED STATES WILLIAM J'. LILLIS, OF GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN.

VENDING MACHINE.

i Application led June 29,

T o all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, lVILLIAM J. LILLIs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Grand Rapids, in\ the county of Kent and State of Michigan, have invent/ed new' and useful Improvements in Vending Machines, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to vending machines; and its object is to provide a sim- 1,0 ple and economically-constructed machine of that character which shall be very eiiicient in practice and very readily operated and further,J to provide therein certain simple and economic features of construction. l5 This and any4 other objects hereinafter appearing are attained by, and the invention finds preferable embodiment in, the structure hereinafter particularly described in the body of this specification and illus- 2o trated by the accompanying drawings, in

'whichz- A 'Figure lis a sectional view of a vending machine taken on a vertical plane corresponding to line 1-1 of Figures 2 and 3 ;l

Figure 2 Vis a like view of the same taken. on a horizontal, plane corresponding to line 2 2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is alike view of the same taken on a horizontal plane corresponding to line 3--3 of Figure 1; I

Figure 4 is a like view of the same taken yon vertical planes corresponding to line 4 4 of Figure 6; Y

Figure .5 is a like view of the same taken on a horizontal plane corresponding to line 5-5 of Figures 4 and 6; l

Figure 6 is a like view of the same taken on a vertical plane corresponding to line 6-6 of Figure 5; v

Figure 7 is afront view of the upper portion of a hingedly-mounted vclosure for the casing ofthe machine; and v Figure 8 is a sectional view of the same taken on a vertical plane corresponding to line 8`8 of Figure 7. 1 A

In the embodiment of Y the invention chosen'for illustration by the drawings and for detailed description inthe body of this specification, the operative parts,- the arti- `cles to be vended and the coins received therefor are enclosed in acasing designated generally 1 which may be secured in upright position to a wall or other suitable support 2 as by screws-3 which canbe loosened only fromy the casing interior.y The con- 1921. Serial N0. 481,199.

tainer 4 for the articles, as small bottles 5 of perfumery and the like, has a vent 6 adjacent its lower end through which only a n predetermined numberL-one as shownof the articles may pass at one and the same time. A closure 7 slidableeto a position seen in Figure 1 to close said vent and to another position seen in Figure 6 has an opening 8 therethrough adapted to receive only said predetermined number-one-of the articles at the same time. When this closure is slid to the position seen in Figure 6 the article 51 carried in said opening is moved to a position where it may fallv through said opening and on the inclined portion 9 of `the wall 10 whereby it is'directed downwardly and toward the opening 11 in the front of the machine where it may be grasped by the purchaser. This closure 7 has a coin-holding chamber 12 adapted to receive a coin 13, edge upwardly and downwardly, and to hold the same by the wall 14 of said chamber against movement relatively to this closure in that direction in which the closure moves in opening the vent from the container 4. Suitable means, as the plunger 15 having the knob 26 outside the machine for operating the same and whose inner end 16 extends through an opening 17 in the closure andv into the chamber, may be pushed against the pressure of the .spring 18 so that its inner end 16 will engage the coin 13 in the chamber and move it and the closure therewith into the closures vent-opening position. By this movement the coin is carried beyond the stop members 20, 21 on yvhich the lower edge of they coin hasA previously rested in the chamber and may thereupon fall into the..coincontaining chamber 22 lof the machine. The spring I8 lcausing the lug 23 at the inner end of the plunger to engage the wall 24 of the chamber presses plunger and closure to the closures Vent-closing position aga-in, whereupon another article falls into4 the closures opening 8. The action of this 100 spring in closing the closure may be accomplshed also or additionally by the springs 25 in sockets 27 pressingtheclosure to its closed position. A coin chute 28 opening atA 29 from the front of the machine is adapted 105 to receive coins of-predeterminedsize and to delivery the-.same one at a time to the chamber12'. The operation of my' vending machine is as follows: A coin being inserted into'the chutes opening 29 falls into the o chamber 12, such chamber being inregistration with the vent 51 of said chute andthe closure 7 being in vent-closing position and havin an article 51 in its opening 8-all as seen 1n Figure 1. `The purchaser then pushes the plunger 15 inwardly, and its inner end engaging the coins side pushes yit against the wall 14 of the chamber, which movement continuin re 6 whereupon the said `article is pushed through the containers vent 6 and falls through vthe clpsu'res opening 8 and into the compartment 30 and rolls outwardly to be taken by the .purchaser through the casings opening 11; in the meanwhile, thev coin has been carried inwardly beyond the stop members 20, 21, and the pressure of the plunger thereon being r eased, the coin falls into the coin. receptacle 22.

As a simple and economical Inethod. of construction the container 4 for the -articles to be vended may comprise oppositely disposed side walls 31 and l() of sheet metal as particularly shown in Figure' l. The forward wall 3l first extends downwardly at 32, then horizontally at 33, then downwardly at 34 and then horizontally at 35 to form the slide 'bearing 36 for the closure 7 ;'and the other wall 10 extends first downwardly at 37 and then horizontally at 38 to form a portion of said bearing and then downwardly at 9 to form a discharge chute for the vended articles. t The casing 1 has a continuous opening at its top and front, or equivalent thereto, a series of openings in its top and `front, closed by the 4 following means: A closure 40 hingedlymounted at 41 closes the coin repushes the closure 7- `to the position seen 1n Fi I claim:

l. In a, vending machine; a container for the articles to be vended having a vent through which only a predetermined number of the articles may pass at` the same time; a closure slidably movable to vent opening and closing positions; a slide bearing for the i closure comprising horizontally extending sure, the former having a coin-passage therethrough and the latter having a coin-support comprising oppositely disposed depending wings inclined toward each other on which the coin may rest edgewise and from one end of which wings it may be ejected in the direction of the closures opening movement; a coin-holding chamber, whose bottom is said coin-support, adapted to hold a coin against..

movement relatively to the closure in the direction of its Yopening movement; a colnchute adapted to deliver a coin, through said com-passage, into said chamber; nmeans op-l tally; then downwardly and then horizontally to form a slide bearing for the closure hereinafter mentioned between said horizontally extending portions, and comprising also an oppositely disposed side wall extending downwardly, then horizontally and4 then dgwnwardly to\form a discharge chute for Ythe vended articles, the container having a ceptacle 22 of the machine and has at its up.:...vent between said walls; a closure for said per end a keeper 42 formed by a reverse bending of the metal sheet composingsuch closure; a second closure 43 which may have a glass windowi44 and a mirror-45 therein slides vertically in bearings 46 in the casing and in its lowered and closed position itsl lower edge is received'in the keeper 42 and thus holds thev closure 40 from opening; a

vent horizontally slidable in said bearingand having an opening into which onlya predetermined number of theI articles may" pass by gravity at the same time in the cloplates, respectively above and below the closures closed position and from which opening said articles may pass by gravity in the vopen position of the closure', the closure having also a coin-holding chamber adapted to 'l third closure 47 hingedly mounted'at 48 enf-hold a coin against movement relatively to es in its closed positionthe upper'end of the .tslidable closure 43 and holds it in t closed position. This third closure 47 may befastenedshut` by a lock 50, whereupon all these three closures are locked closed.

The vent 51 or the coin chute 28. formsa coinLpassagethrough the portion'y 33 of the extensionof the 4containeris front wall; and

I' the stops 20 21form a coin-support on which the .coin rests in the chamber 12.

The invention being intendedto be pointl ed out in the claims, is not tov be limit/ed to or by details of construction` of the particular embodiment thereof illustrated by the drawings or hereinbefore described.

the closure'in the direction of itsl opening movement and to permit the coins exit by gravityfrom the chamber in' the closures opening movement; a coin chute adaptedito l deliver a coin to said chamber by gravity; a

plunger extending outside vthe machine and into said chamber and adapted to be moved WIHLLIAM J. LILLrs to engage the oo in :inthe chamber 'and tov 

